Threefold Space Practice

Urgyen Tulku Rinpoche

Outer space empty sky, Inner space, empty mind essence, Secret space, empty rigpa. These three are all included in one. Outer space, empty sky is the unimpeded outer space. Inner space, empty mind nature refers to the fact that all sentient eings ha!e mind. If something has no mind, it is physical matter. Secret space, empty rigpa is the essence of the mind, rigpa. If one recogni"es rigpa, then all three spaces are unified into one. #ll three mingle into one space $ithout any separation. If one does not recogni"e the secret space, then only the outer space and the inner space mingle. %o$ is secret space, empty rigpa& It is the essence of mind. The essence of mind is rigpa. 'or e(ample, if $e look to see $here our arm comes from, $e see our ody. If $e look a$ay from the ody $e come to the hand. In the e(ample, the ody is rigpa and the hand, the e(tension of our ody, is mind. They may e oth different, ut they may )ust e t$o aspects of the same thing. If $e look in$ardly $e arri!e at the essence. *hen $e look from the essence out$ardly $e arri!e at mind, the hand. If $e look into the source of the mind, $e arri!e at the essence. If $e look out$ardly, $e are sentient eings. If $e look in$ardly $e see the +uddha. Rigpa is the ody and mind is like the appendage. There is no difference et$een looking a$ay and looking in$ardly. If one $ants to see one,s heart, ut one looks a$ay from the ody then one $ill ne!er see the heart. If one has slipped under the po$er of mind, then one cannot see rigpa. If one does not recogni"e rigpa then the three spaces $ill not mingle, only the other t$o $ill. Sentient eings ha!e unified t$o of the spaces. If one recogni"es rigpa all three spaces $ill naturally ecome one. If one does not fi(ate out$ardly on something, and if one does not concentrate in$ardly onto the mind, then fi(ated and fi(ated-upon ecome empty. The space, empty of fi(ated upon and fi(ation is called rigpa. *ithin the secret space of empty rigpa oth fi(ations ha!e ecome empty. *ithin rigpa there is no dualistic fi(ation, all three spaces are unified into one. If one has not recogni"ed rigpa then one has to fa ricate the unification of the three spaces, as in de!elopment stage practice. This is ecause dualistic mind has not recogni"ed self-originated $isdom. +ecause you do not need to fa ricate it, it is called self-originated, or self-e(isting. The kno$ingness is $isdom. If one does not recogni"e rigpa, then it turns into non-arisen, non-cogni"ant. If rigpa is recogni"ed there is no need to mingle the three spaces, they are already mingled in one instant. *hen $e think a out it, the three spaces are separated. +ut in the instant of

recogni"ing rigpa they are automatically mingled. .ind has fi(ation/ rigpa has no fi(ation. It is self-e(isting, and kno$ing. *ithin the space of rigpa, all three mingle naturally. If you think that they are three, then they $ill not e a le to mingle. 0!erything $ill ecome concepts. One needs to recogni"e the source of the mind. The point is the recognition of the essence of the mind, not of the mind. One asks the 1ama to point out the essence of the mind. #s $e are sentient eings $e ha!e mind. One re2uests the 1ama to point out the essence of the mind. The essence of the mind is rigpa. If you ask, $hat is rigpa& Rigpa is self-e(isting $isdom/ mind is non-arisen and not kno$ing. Therefore, you first ha!e to recogni"e the essence of the mind. Outer space, empty sky is free from mist dust and clouds. It is )ust a lue sky, utterly pure lue sky. Space is $ithout reference point. There is no point to focus on, )ust empty space. It is said, the space of sky, and the surface of the ocean. If you look far a$ay into the ocean, then that lueness is also helpful for rigpa. The est, ho$e!er, is the sky itself. %o$ is space free from reference point& Unimpeded openness in front of us is called space. Space is not the lue sky, $hich is called the adornment of space. That lue thing is not called space. The adornment of space is the lueness of the sky. *e see that due to the reflection of light. In the Ti etan tradition, our continent 3d"am u gling4 is south of .t. .eru. The southern side of .t .eru is lue material lapis la"uli. Therefore $e percei!e sky as lue. +ecause of the sunlight and the ocean the sky appears lue to us. If you go out into space, you $ill not find anything that is lue. Space is immaterial and it cannot ha!e a color. There is no up, or do$n, east, south, north or $est. There is no limitation at all. *ithin the threefold sky practice first reflect on outer space. 5ou can ne!er reach the limit of space. That is $here $e ga"e. That $as a out outer space, empty sky. 6o$, Inner space, empty mind nature. Our mind is free from a place from $here it comes from, a ides, or ceases. It is said that this inner space is empty mind nature. If it had a place $here it came from, d$elled or ceased, then it $ould not e empty. 6o$, Secret space, empty rigpa. It is contacting the essence of one,s mind, like contacting the essence of ones heart. This essence is uncompounded. .ind, dualistic mind, has thoughts. The fi!e o )ects, are conceptuali"ed y the mind. The secret space, empty rigpa, is free from thoughts. That $hich is free from thoughts is in essence empty, in its nature cogni"ing, and in its compassionate aspect unimpeded, unlimited. .ind is $ith thoughts and thoughts arise and cease. They do not stay, $hen one thought has gone the ne(t thought appears. Thoughts ha!e no self-sta ility. *hat really confused us are our thoughts. If $e ha!e not recogni"ed the

essence, $e are confused y thoughts. The thought itself is empty. It arises and ceases, arises and ceases, one after the other. +ecause it is like that $e are called those $ith mind. The secret space is free from thoughts. %o$e!er, although it is free from thoughts, it is not dull. It is empty, $ith the adornment of $isdom. Our emptiness right no$ is $ith the adornment of thoughts. The essence has the adornment of $isdom. Thoughts are under the po$er of the three times, from past present and future. %o$e!er, mind chases after past, present, and future thoughts. In short, mind is empty and cogni"ing, ut this empty and cogni"ing has fallen under the po$er of ignorance. That empty and cogni"ing is not a$are of itself. Its focus is not on the heart ut it is on the arm. If the empty and cogni"ing is not recogni"ed it is called the unity of the empty and cogni"ing $ith the core of ignorance. That is the case for sentient eings. +ut the yogi has the empty and cogni"ing $ith the core of a$areness, rigpa. Rigpa has the marks of essence, nature, and compassionate energy. It has empty essence, the cogni"ing nature, and the unlimited compassionate energy. If you focus out$ardly you $ill meet attachment, a!ersion and stupidity. #s the mind is under the po$er of those three, then $e circle in samsara. #s the pain part of the ody is the heart, the main point of samsara and nir!ana is the essence. To find the heart one needs to look in$ardly. The main point of samsara, nir!ana, and the path is the essence. 7ualistic mind is the e(pression of the essence. *hen you look in$ardly, then you percei!e that there is nothing to see. The meaning of not seeing is clearly seeing there is nothing to see. The essence is empty, the nature is cogni"ing, and the compassionate energy is unimpeded. They are called the three $isdoms that are d$elling $ithin the essence. *hen one looks in$ardly there is no contact, there is nothing to see. One needs to contact that $hich is free from arising, a iding, and ceasing. There is a 2uote in the 8agyupa tradition, 6othing $hatsoe!er e(ists, yet e!erything appears. 6othing $hatsoe!er e(ists is the empty essence aspect. 0!erything appears is the cogni"ing nature aspect. In 7"ogchen $e call it the threefold $isdoms of ones o$n a$areness-$isdom. They are the $isdom of empty essence, the $isdom of the cogni"ing nature and the $isdom of the unimpeded compassionate energy. That is $hat is meant y if one looks in$ardly, one arri!es at one place. .ost people think that if, $hen they look to$ards and there is nothing to see, then they might as $ell forget a out it. One needs to meet that $hich is free from meeting. One does not need to meet something that is there to e met. Thoughts are there to e met. The real meeting point is non-action. 6onaction means to e free from concepts. One needs to meet the un-meet a le. One non-action o!erpo$ers e!erything. One non-action completely destroys all three mind poisons. The mind poisons are actions/ they are

concepts. .ind poisons are not possi le $ithout concepts. One cannot suppress the mind poisons, one cannot kick them out, urn them $ith fire, $ash them a$ay $ith $ater, there is nothing in the uni!erse that can deal $ith the mind poisons. If you try to suppress them they $ill ecome stronger. The only things that can uproot the three mind poisons are the $isdom of the empty essence. *isdom is $akefulness, $hich is not dull. It is $ith kno$ingness. It is free from action/ free from concepts, and the e(pression of a$areness is a le to understand e!erything. 9omplete emptiness $ithout any concepts and $ithout any kno$ingness, like eing hit $ith a stick, is not the essence. It is cogni"ing $hile eing empty. 5ou do not need to fa ricate that, that is ho$ the essence is already is. *ho can make the essence& *e ha!e that essence $ithout decrease or increase like the flo$ of a ri!er. It is $ithout decrease, or increase like the tip of a flame, it is uninterrupted like the flo$ of a ri!er.